Audio Guide to British English Pronunciation | DavidAppleyard.com In an attempt to take some of the pain out of learning the kind of clear English pronunciation that prevents communication problems, I have here devised a set of memorable sentences as practice drills. The full range of English sounds is gone through systematically and spoon-fed in a form overseas students will want to repeat to themselves and then to the world. They might think it's just a form of entertainment, but before they know it they'll be speaking like a native! David V. Appleyard Start by creating a new folder with a simple name like "Pronunciation" or "Drills". Under "Visualizations" select "Album Art" to display the phonetic symbol of each sound being practised. The Japanese language has roughly half as many sounds as English, but this doesn't prevent it from eagerly soaking up vast quantities of western words and expressions.
Sounds Familiar? What you can hear You can listen to 71 sound recordings and over 600 short audio clips chosen from two collections of the British Library Sound Archive: the Survey of English Dialects and the Millennium Memory Bank. You’ll hear Londoners discussing marriage and working life, Welsh teenagers talking with pride about being bilingual and the Aristocracy chatting about country houses. What you can do In addition there are interpretation and learning packages relating to the dual themes of language variation and language change within spoken English. In Regional Voices you can explore the differences that exist in spoken English as you move across the country, while Changing Voices gives you the chance to hear how English has changed in different parts of the country over the last fifty years.
English-speaking countries Have you ever wondered why you have to learn English at school? Did you know that the world speaks English? Do you know how many countries in the world have English as an official language? First, you need to know the origins and history of the English language. 1. After the hard work, have fun watching the four videos and discover how different English sounds in England, Australia, the USA and India.
The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying In his foreword to the book, the 14th Dalai Lama says: In this timely book, Sogyal Rinpoche focuses on how to understand the true meaning of life, how to accept death, and how to help the dying, and the dead...Death and dying provide a meeting point between the Tibetan Buddhist and modern scientific traditions. I believe both have a great deal to contribute to each other on the level of understanding and practical benefit. Sogyal Rinpoche is particularly well placed to facilitate this meeting; having been born and brought up in the Tibetan tradition, he has received instructions from some of our greatest Lamas. Conception and writing[edit] Background[edit] Writing process[edit] Later, while Rinpoche was leading retreats in Germany and Australia, he would send through long faxes to Gaffney and Harvey full of corrections, changes and new paragraphs. “Probably, a book has never been written in such an unusual way. Publication history[edit] Contents and themes[edit] Living (Part One)[edit]
The Listening Project The Listening Project is a partnership between BBC Radio and the British Library that invites people to share an intimate conversation, to be recorded and broadcast by the BBC and, if suitable, curated and archived by the British Library. These conversations will form a unique picture of our lives today, preserved for future generations. Visit The Listening Project website (BBC) and get involved. Throughout the Project, our experts will be discussing these conversations and highlighting related recordings in the archive, on their Sounds blog. Visit the Sounds blog and join the conversation. Sounds at the British Library Our Sounds website showcases over 50,000 recordings from our world-class collection of 3.5 million items. Listen now to over 50,000 sounds. Oral history and research Oral history in the classroom Our Learning website suggests many opportunities for using audio material in schools. And are you sitting or sat at a computer? The BBC and the British Library: in partnership
Listen to English around the World. Click on any of the flags below to hear accents from some of the main English-speaking countries. Hear more English accents. One of the best ways of improving your English is to listen to radio news and discussion in English on your computer. Listen to the Bible in MP3 format Listen to film soundclips How to Meditate - Guided Meditation Techniques - Buddhist Meditations Teaching English Pronunciation I've met teachers who believe "there's no point in teaching English pronunciation as it cannot be taught. Talented students pick it up - the rest don't." English coursebooks make the same point with their silence. Apart from a few exercises on word stress or individual sounds - and then only in the better books - they ignore pronunciation. Despite the above comments, I know from my own experience that clear pronunciation can be taught - and that when it is taught the students listening will improve too. What needs teaching? In teaching English pronunciation the students generally need work in several areas. Individual Sounds - Background Teaching English pronunciation involves a giving a lot of listening practice at the beginning. If the sound you are teaching doesn't exist in your students' language they will try to fit it into the sounds they already know. Remember that sounds and letters are different. Individual Sounds - ESL Pronunciation Activities Word Stress How Many Words?
Sacred Texts: Buddhism Sacred-texts home Journal Articles: Buddhism OCRT: Buddhism Buy CD-ROM Buy Books about Buddhism Modern works Southern Buddhism Northern Buddhism JatakaLinks Modern works The Gospel of Buddha: Compiled from Ancient Records by Paul Carus [1909]A modern retelling of the Buddha's work and life. Buddha, the Word by Paul Carus Amitabha by Paul Carus [1906]Buddhist concepts of God, non-violence, and religious tolerance. The Buddhist Catechism by Henry S. The Creed of Buddha by Edmond Holmes (2nd. ed.) [1919]A Pantheist looks at contemporary Western views of Buddhism. The Life of Buddha by Andre Ferdinand Herold [1922], tr. by Paul C. A Buddhist Bible by Dwight Goddard (1st ed.) [1932]An edited (but not watered-down) collection of key Zen documents, a favorite of Jack Kerouac. The Smokey the Bear Sutra by Gary Snyder.A much beloved short poem about the relationship between Buddhism and ecology, written by one of the 'beat' era poets, simultaneously funny and profound. Southern Buddhism Jataka BBS Files
Breaking News English ESL Lesson Plan on Accents A recent survey in the UK has found that regional accents can be “bad for business”. Professor Khalid Aziz, a specialist in communication for business executives, questioned people in high-level management to find out their opinions on regional accents. He discovered that non-English accents are better for business success in England. The survey also reports that business people think speakers with Indian or Asian accents are more trustworthy and reliable than speakers with American or British accents. 1. 2. 3. Surveys / business managers / regional accents / high level / prejudices / trustworthiness / Indian accents / executives / Queen’s English / Scotland Have a chat about the topics you liked. 4. 5. I want to speak English without any accent from my own language. 6. 1. 2. 3. ODD WORD OUT: Delete the incorrect or least likely word from each group of three in italics. A recent survey / study / answer in the UK has found that regional accents can be “bad for business”. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
9 Jhanas - The Dhamma Encyclopedia From The Dhamma Encyclopedia (Adapted from a chapter from Buddha's Lists book by David N. Snyder, Ph.D.) The jhanas are altered states of consciousness which are produced from periods of strong concentration. Although not enlightenment experiences, they do provide much needed experience into the Path and explain much of the cosmology in an experiential way. To reach the jhanic states of the four jhanas and the five immaterial, formless realms, one must choose a meditation subject and use one-pointedness concentration. When your mind state is free of the five hindrances and your concentration is especially strong you enter the first jhana of pleasant sensations. The jhanas have been roughly translated as “states of absorption” or even “trance.” Even in non-contemplative traditions there may be examples of these trance-like states. At high levels of jhana super-normal powers may occur. Samyutta Nikaya 12.70 And then the Buddha came to the River Ganges. Digha Nikaya 16.1.33